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Talk:Open Door Clinic
I remember Jim, This is Steve Carpenter, there from about 1976-7 until '80 ... crisis phone worker and client advocate, flying squad member, shift supervisor and PA at the medical clinic downstairs. I was at UW Med School/Grad School and then in a computer business in the U district. Anyone know where Clive, Susan, Janie, John and others went off to? What was behind the closure? ... it must have happened just after I moved East. Interestingly I'm involved in another 'Free Clinic' project here in Maine... Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center (www.seedsofhope4ME.org). Steve Carpenter Stcarpen 00:09, 15 July 2008 (UTC)stcarpen Hi I worked at ODC from 1971-till the door finally closed. Are there any others out there. Jim Beardsley Now in Gold Bar WA ODC I worked the phones in 72-73. I still have a copy of the clinic manual I got during training, believe it or not. Dann Huff now in Apache Junction, AZ. I was a lucky kid, I had a family to look out for me. My father Nick Carter and his wife Patsy Burnett, both worked at the Clinic. I got involved shortly after the move to the big house on 50th. I worked phones and Flying Squad until I went into the service. I remember dinner parties at our house by the beach in West Seattle, Carl “Jessie” Schafer, Inga, Phil Nathenson, Vicky Boyd and of course Dr. John Green. I didn’t see it then but I was so fortunate to have those people, and so many others, in my life at that time. Despite my best efforts to be a self centered teenager, they showed me how to be a better person. How many kids went to a rock festival with their parents! I remember Dad and Dr. John sitting on top of the bus blowing up condoms like balloons bus and tossing them out to the crowd and ten minuets later sewing up a gash in some guys arm or pumping thorazine into a bum tripper. I still have my ODC tee shirt (unwashed) and arm band from Sky River. I was given so much by the people at “The Clinic” staff, friends and family all. Doug, Lee and so many others gave so much of themselves to make the place work, to make a difference; this, I think they did. I was given the chance to give back, I hope I have. Alan “Eli” Carter Carter_alan@hotmail.com ODC The "Clinic" closed due to lack of funds, and just sort of a general lack of energy. Also the house we were in was purchased; and now that mini mall is where the clinic used to be. The day the door finally closed was one of the most sad of my life. I hear that there are ocasional reunions of former clinic folks, but have been out of the loop for a long time. Was sorta hoping maybe someone would see this. I heard that Cheryl Scott was the director of Group Health for a while, and I worked with Richard Brustowitz (sorry if I misspelled the name Richard) for a while in the 80s, and bumped into him from time to time working at the UW...I really miss those folks, they were sort of the family i never had...Still have some posters, and a pretty extensive photo collection of the inside of the building (the "over the moon" painting that was above the fireplace, and photos of the "shaking hands" stained glass window etc etc... Jim Beardsley I worked there in '77-78 on the phones and the flying squad. I was taking a year off from Brown. I still have the certificate I got after the training. The only person I remember is a girl who'd gone to Lakeside, Class of '75. ````Jessica W. Hi Jim (and everyone else!) -- yes, you did misspell the name, but it's not like you get to practice it every day the way I do. It starts "Brz" and ends "icz". I might still be listed in the UW directory. Best wishes to you, and to all former ODC colleagues. ---RichardB Open Door Clinic I walked through the doors of the first Open Door as a runaway back in the Fall of '67. Lee Kirshner and many others were busting their collective butts to try and bridge the gaps between the established Medical Resources for Drug Intervention, Domestic Abuse, STDs and the street people and the Police. I was in and out of Seattle Volunteering when I could for the next few years but settled in Seattle and volunteered. I went to the phone worker training retreats got First AId and Advance First Aid Training and found a family of other volunteers. After the "big" Flying Squad Bust, (the intervention by only Advanced First Aid'ers at a "potentially" serious medical emergency). The Steering Committee elected to Build an Ambulance. I was involved in that endeavour. So were many others John Hatten, Barb Doty, Yona Makowski, "Marvelous Mrrx Marv Freeman, Jon Day and more. There are many folks that were in the ODC Family, Madeline Hoover, Roger Messner, Susan Swaggar (sp?) so many more. We all became EMT's and beyond. Collectively all those folks created a way to help anyone, no matter what the circumstances. Then there were the festivals like Sky River that Open Door stretched its resources to provide services at that and many more events. And after how many Demonstations did ODC bandage heads and Hearts? The Centerfor Addiction Services relied on ODC and how many folks relied on ODC for primary care and follow up in Medical, OB/GYN, Dental, Birth and Conselling. Open Door could not raise the amount of money to be active in the Reagan era. It is a shame. As you look at the Young Folks living in the Streets of your city... think of how it would change if there was still an Open Door Clinic. Open Door Community Clinic I was a volunteer at the woman's clinic, a part of the Open Door Community Clinic. After it closed, I continued as a volunteer at the new clinic which was called the Northend Community Clinic. It was located in an older house on 45th street. In fact, it was just down the street from the current 45th Street Community Clinic on the same side of the street. There may be people at the 45th street clinic that worked at the open door. Joy (Seattle) ODC and more I was one of the (more or less) full time staff at ODC from 1970 to 73 as the "Social Services Manager" I was known as Gordon in those days. I did my conscientious objector alternative service there. I left to travel in South America in 73. I came back a volunteered at the Clinic when I returned. My dog “Oso” loved to hang in the lounge while I was working. Of course I remember Richard B. I have lots of wonderful memories of those days. I wish we had been a model that transferred to some form of universal health care. BTW I no longer am called Gordon. I am transsexual and transitioned a while ago. I am Alison Davison these days. I now live in Tucson, Arizona where I still work in social services. I work at Wingspan, Tucson’s LGBT community center, where I coordinate the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA) If anyone wants to contact me, try: adavison@wingspan.org or lapis_23@hotmail.com Hey Alison, I remember you and Oso well! This is Carl Schroeder. I was at the front desk from 11 pm - 7 am five days a week from 1970 - 72. It was my service as a Conscientious Objector. Oso was the first name I recognized while reading this ODC Wiki. I've never been good at names, and now that I'm 72 years old (gasp!) I'm even worse. But I do remember you, and how impressed I was by you and Oso. I recall once you were leaving the ODC on some errand and weren't going to take Oso with you, You said something like "Oso, I'm leaving for a few minutes. Stay here and wait for me." - - not a verbatim quote, I'm sure, but I know you talked to Oso exactly the same as you would if you were talking to a human. Oso just looked at you, then walked to the corner (or maybe the couch in the front room) and lay down and watched you leave. By the way, I lived in Tucson 1979 - 1986, and 1990 - 95. I wonder if we overlapped there. I'm now back in the Pacific NW, living in Olympia. My wife and I visited Tucson for a week in the spring about four years ago, and I hope to visit again sometimel. If I ever win the lottery I'll buy a second home in Tucson. I loved living there.Carljs27 (talk) 15:58, February 16, 2017 (UTC)Carl Schroeder carljs27@gmail.com Worked at Open Door Clinic I worked as a volunteer and then as a CETA employee at the Open Door Clinic, 1977 - 1979. It was a fabulous place. I met amazing people and learned a great deal. We had a grant to set up an ambulance service. The idea was great and we made some progress, but we never really got it completely off the ground. We did first aid at lots of events - University Street Fair, Fat Tuesday, etc. We also did transports of patients seeking voluntary admission to Western State Hospital...those were scary trips. We also helped abused women leave their homes and relocate to shelters. It was nerve-wracking, even with the police back-up. I remember one call where we had to also re-settle the puppy - it was named Thunder and very sweet - we took him to PAWS who was going to get him to the family when they got settled. I would love to hear from people who worked there. I'm still in touch with Tim Humes, Cindy Johnson and David Hanig. Yona Makowski Olympia, WA The Original Open Door Clinic In Memory of Beautiful Jamie, who left us in the late 80's when ovarian cancer returned to take her life . Everyone loved Jamie - she was a magnet for happiness. Thank you Carl for holding her hand as she left our world in a hospital in Seattle The original Open Door Clinic was in a little red building on an otherwise vacant lot over near "The Last Exit" coffee house. Dr. John Green, Inga Isackson, Holly, and others were there. I was in charge of the phone staff and I road with Carl Shaefer in the "Flying Squad" which consisted of his old silver 1953 chevy station wagon with no windows. Then we moved into the large white building which everyone knows. That was about in 1970. I spent many nights there, talking people down from bad trips, making appointments and training staff. I'll never forget when John Green somehow managed to get an x-ray machine. And then, the woman's clinic was special to everyone because women and families had a place to bring their problems. Doug was hired as the clinic chairperson. Red hair, red beard, and a passion for herfeys gut bombs... A local hamburger joint. Remeber the BUFFALO PARTY CONVENTION!!! I loved volunteering my time, and I am glad to learn through this site that the ODC remained in operation many years. We did good! Thank you all for your efforts. Please contact me, come visit if you'd like to visit the Northeast Maine Coast. Bob Costa surveyandseptics@gmail.com 207-276-3914 http://surveyandseptics.com 02:31, March 18, 2010 (UTC) Taken In By Lee Kirschner My name is JJ. I was a run-away taken in by Lee Kirschner through the Open Door Clinic. I would love to be able to say that it was a rescue mission, but the down and dirty fact is that she was just looking for a live-in babysitter for her (many) extremely disturbed children. There were efforts made to make it appear that she was a caring and responsible emother - volunteer roles at ODC, Sky River, an unwanted scholarship at the Evelyn Woods Speed Reading course on the Ave. But the sad truth is that there was never a bond, only one heart to heart conversation when she blamed me for a sexual molestation attempt by another one of her elderly male "adoptees", and a not so sweet farwell, when I came down with Hepatits A and was no longer of value to her. It was at that point I returned to my resentful and abusive family, only to learn that Lee had been collecting money from them for my "free nanny duties". While I was there, as a 16 year old babysitter, I witnessed incredible dysfunction - a meth addicted son, a "tweenie" daughter on the brink of emotional breakdown, and two darling little boys, Alan and Michael who had no idea what life had to not-offer them. I came across this site while doing a search for Stephen Friborg (would love to know where he is and how he is doing) and after reading the comments, thought there should be a bit of clarity in how this organization was operated from the top. President Bush (George W.) enlightened me as to the devastating effects of trickle down ethics (or lack thereof). Julie Schwartz (julieschwartz@nventure.com) Well JJ we all have strange memories. I for one (one of the "disturbed children") do not remember you by this moniker but rereading I do remember Julie but not fondly. However, for the record, Allen was older than the "tweenie" daughter so it must be Michael and myself to which you refer. Just to let you know, these disturbed children all went to college and earned degrees. Allen became a professor of Chemistry, Carol a CPA, Michael an Engineer, myself a math teacher, and the littlest one (who would have been an infant during your "free nanny") a degree in Biology. We all have children and are doing well. I wonder which son was "meth addicted", etc. As far as connecting you with Stephen Friborg, given your vitrol here I would not dream of providing you with his contact info. DJohnson Strange Times At The ODC I had a couple of encounters at the Open Door Clinic in 1970-71. The place was highly regarded, as it was possible for the marginal folks in the North End to get medical treatment without being subjected to the generally expected hassles of mainstream medical care. We brought our friend Christine there to see about abdominal pains. It was a bit beyond the scope of the Clinic, but they had a referral deal with UW hospital, so they sent us there. Turned out she was going to have a baby. Another time I was looking up my friend Dave and someone said he hung around the ODC. So I went there to ask about him. When I got there I heard some loony whooping it up in one of the back rooms, and then a freon boat horn. Turns out it was Dave on the early phase of his slide into the DT's. He had broken both of his glasses lenses and they were held together with scotch tape. He was wearing two shirts and two pairs of pants, and had the freon horn tied to his belt loop with about 6 feet of rope. I don't think he had any medical problems, just had taken to hanging around the Clinic. Larry 21:56, July 28, 2011 (UTC)Hi, DJohnson - Forgive me for offending you and suggesting that you and your siblings would not survive and prosper. I am grateful to know that the outcome was so positive for all of you. Nothing I said, however, was a "strange memory". It was truth and I have suffered and I felt a need to set the record straight regarding all the "adults" who believed they were "nurturing" me. If you don't know about your older brother whose room was in the front upper floor, I thank God you were spared from the horror. I, too, was able to move on and raise a family in spite of the bumps I overcame as a child. God bless and may your joy in life continue. 21:56, July 28, 2011 (UTC)julie 21:56, July 28, 2011 (UTC) For anyone still reading this page there is a video being made August 6, 2012 in Seattle of the ODC at the rock festivals. Anyone who experienced that part of the Open Door Clinic and would like to add his or her two cents worth should contact Tod Miller at toyser22@yahoo.com. This message is from Vicki Starfire known then as Vicki Croda and involved in the counseling end of the operation. 04:21, July 25, 2012 (UTC) This is Susan Schwaiger and it is September 25, 2012 and I worked at Open Door Clinic from about 1973 to about 1975. I came across this page looking up something on REI for work, where I came across Cheryl Scott on the board of directors at REI. I thought, where do I know that name? Why doesn't SOMEBODY try to do something on the internet to find the ODC people for those of us who do not live in Seattle? It would be great fun. Then I also saw in that internet search that Kord was organizing a party tonight in Seattle for former workers. I live in Montclair, New Jersey and work as antitrust attorney in New York City. I have a partner named Patti and a 8 year old daughter Grace. Where is Tim Humes? John Hatten? I saw Clive Beasley on Facebook I think in Massachusetts. Where is Patsy Carter? Vicky Boyd? Madeline Hoover? Rick Ehels (I'm sure misspelled)? John's friend that went to Greenpeace? I am struggling with the names. I remember Steve Carpenter. It was great fun to find this page. 15:08, September 25, 2012 (UTC)Susan Schwaiger. Write me at susan.schwaiger@gmail.com Lee Kirschner remarried and died in 1990. Chris Kirschner is still alive and doing well running the Go Center next door to the Blue Moon. 06:29, December 3, 2012 (UTC)DJohnson Memories from the ODC front desk on the night shift: 1970-72 #There was a semi-wild cat named "Gleeplex" who sometimes wandered in. She got her name from one of the "burned out" druggies sitting on the couch in the front room, who had been sitting quietly, saying nothing, when the cat strolled in. The guy on the couch suddenly sat up straight, pointed at the cat, and said "Gleeplex" - and the name stuck. I recall that once Gleeplex and one of her kittens was in the front room, and all was very quiet and mellow, Then another cat wantdered by and gave the kitten a light bat with her paw. Gleeplex went nuclear, chased the other cat across the room, up the wall and across the ceiling. The other cat was never seen again. #About 2 am one night three or four stoned people stumbled in and said their friend in the car was unconscious and they couldn't wake her up. I ran out to the car and found a young woman (perhaps teenager) slumped on the floor in the back of the sedan, crammed between the back seat and the front seats. She didn't respond when I shook her, I couldn't find a pulse, and she wasn't breathing, so I tried to pick her up. With my arms under her upper torso I started to lift her, and a rush of air came out of her lungs. She was totally lifeless, and something about the sound of that rush of air didn't sound good. I told her friends to give me the keys to the car and I drove as fast as I could to the UW Hospital emergency room - -- no traffic, so we were fast. Emergency Room doctors rushed out, took her in, and pronounced her dead on arrival. That was the most tragic, sobering experience of my two years there. #There was a teenage boy that hung around the front room sometimes who had artistic talent. I bought a charcoal sketch of the Beatles from him. One day he asked Doug Southard, the red-haired director of the ODC, if he could draw a picture of “Lenin” on the wall. Doug asked him which Lenin he wanted to draw. The kid was confused – he only knew of one person by that name, and said “the one in the Beatles”. Doug and I were relieved he meant John Lenon and not Vladimir Ilyitch Lenin - - a drawing of that one on the ODC wall may have been a bit of a problem since the ODC was funded in part by the City of Seattle. #I recall there was a hand-made poster on the wall of the medical clinic in the basement, with advice for women's health, especially gynecological health. The last item on the list was “Never put anything in your vagina that you wouldn't put in your mouth.” #One night four or five people were brought into the ODC from a concert at a popular night spot on Capitol Hill. Someone had passed around a wine bottle spiked with ...I forget the name, but I believe it was a “horse tranquilizer”. People were unconscious, barely breathing - - shallow breaths and a long time between breaths. We managed to keep them alive, and I recall that as one of them returned to consciousness he was ranting and raving, took off his pants, etc. #About 2 or 3 am one morning a couple of the regulars came in carrying a bunch of stuff, including an electric guitar. I didn't understand what was going on at first, but as they inspected the stuff I finally realized they had stolen it from a car parked somewhere in the U District. I told them to “get out of here with that stuff.” #In the Fremont District, near the U-District, Cowboy hats became popular, kind of part of the semi-hippy look. I lived at the edge of the Fremont District, and bought myself a Stetson. Leaving the ODC about 7 one morning, walking home, there was car stopped at the intersection. The driver was a well-dressed young woman, maybe a sorority girl on her way back to the sorority house after a night out, maybe on her way to some early-morning job. She was waiting for the light to change, and looked at me closely as I walked toward her car. I nodded at her, tipped my cowboy hat, and said “Howdy ma'am.” - - just for fun. She got a big smile on her face and looked away. I've enjoyed that memory for about 44 years now! :>) #Does anyone know where Doug Southard, Carl Schaefer, or Madeline are now? Those are the names I've managed to drag out of memory banks. And there was a young Doctor, or medical student, for whom I did a little "research" about Ritalin - - looked up references in the UW Medical Library. I was so unprofessional I'm not sure I did anything useful for him though. #Carljs27 (talk) 17:21, February 16, 2017 (UTC)Carl Schroeder carljs27@gmail.com